Ratchet mechanism for tools.



PATNTED FEB. 27, 1906.

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UHUl Hi H. P. RICHARDS.

RA'I'CHET MECHANISM FOR TOOLS.

APPLIOATION FILED APRJJ., 1905.

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` WTNESSES:

, United States Letters Patent N o. 7 58,829, of

UNITED STATES STANLEY RULE & LEVEL COMP CUT, A CORPORATION PATENT OFFICE.

AssiGNoR To ANY, or NEW RRirArN, CONNECTI- OF CONNECTICUT.

RATCHET iNIECHANlSM FOF TOOLS.

No. 813,586. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 27, 1906.

Application iled April ll. 1905. Serial No. 255,054.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, HUBERT P. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Britain, county of Hartford, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ratchet Mechanism for Tools, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in ratchet mechanism of the type set forth in April 2c, 1904.

he object is to provide certain improved ratchet or interlocking mechanism for tools whereby a comparatively large number of teeth will be simultaneously in engagement when an intermittent clutching action is being effected, so that the strain transmitted from the driving part to thev driven part will be more effectively withstood than would be the case were said power transmitted through only one or two teeth of said ratchet mechanism. There are other important advantages, such as the cheapening and simplifying of the construction. l

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention as applied to a bit brace, a portion of the latter being shown. Fig. 2 is a similar view, one of the parts being shown in section to reveal the internal construction. Fig. 3 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section, said section being taken on a vertical plane at right angles to the sectional plane represented in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the driving part with the various coperating parts detached. Fig. 5 is a view of the under side of the driving part with the various coperating parts in position. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the driven part detached. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one section of the pawl-carrying member detached. Fig. 8 is a development of the controlling cam-sleeve.

In the preferred form, which is shown in the drawings, 1 is the driven part, provided with suitable tool-holding apparatus, such as an ordinary chuck la.

2 is a driving part.

3 is a shaft or spindle of less diameter than the diameter of the driven part, said spindle affording a long bearing connection between the driving and the driven part when the a sleeve-like extension which constitutes a housing for the ratchet mechanism, the latter being arranged to rigidly engage or intermittently engage the driven part, as desired, in the manner hereinafter described.

1b is a crown-ratchet carried by the driven part 1 and surrounding the spindle 3. The teeth of the crown ratchet are engaged by the pawl-teeth of the nawl-carrying member. The pawl-carrying member comprises two sections 4 4, which embrace the spindle 3 and are provided, respectively, with oppositelyfaced teeth which form the pawls proper. These two sections 4 4a are capable of independent reciprocation, so that all of the pawl-teeth of said parts, respectively, may be simultaneously or alternately c ngaged with the crown-ratchet lb.

5 is a spring arranged within the housing of the driving part and arranged to cause both sections of the pawl-carrying member to normally move toward the crown-ratchet.

6 is a controller carrying a cam 6u. (See the development view, Fig. 8.) 6b is a stop projection on said cam which may be provided to prevent the cam from being turned beyond a certain predetermined distance in either direction.

4b 4C are lateral projections carried by the sections 4 4l of the ratchet member, respectively. These projections extend through longitudinal slots in the side wall of the sleeve-like extension of the driving part. The ends of the said projections 4b 4C when the parts are assembled overstand the cam 6a, the latter being so formed that by rotating the controller 6 the oppositely-faced pawlteeth will be permitted to simultaneously or alternately engage with the crown-ratchet, as desired.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when the parts are assembled the parted to the driving part will be transmitted, through the projection 4b or 4C, or both, to the pawl-teeth and thence to the crown-ratchet of the driven part. Since the projections 4b 4C stand in the vertical or 1ongitudinal grooves in the driven part, they must turn therewith, and hence the driven part will be rotated in one direction or the other, according to the position of the pawls. It will be seen that each section of the pawl parts are assembled. The driving part 2 has member provided with a comparatively IOO large number of teeth at its lower end, which l number may correspond to practically onehalf the number of teeth in the crownratchet. Hence the transmitted strain will be more effectively withstood than were only one or two teeth relied upon to effect the engagement or coupling of said parts. In the form shown in the drawings the slots in the sleeve-like extension of the driving part throughwhich the projections 4b 4C, respectively, pass are closed-ended, so that when the driven part is removed (which may be effected by merely removing the retainingscrew 3a) the pawls will not drop out. To remove the sections 4 4a, it is merely necessary to push back one of said sections, (when the driven part is removed,) whereupon the other section may be tilted, so that its projection will become free of the driven part and may be slid out. When this is done, the other section and the spring may be readily removed. To assemble, this order is reversed. While the closed-ended slots have an advantage, it is obvious that the invention is by no means limited thereto, as said slots might be open-ended, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, and I desire to cover and protect both forms of slots.

Sections4 4 of the pawl member each partake of a straight-line movement and are guided between the spindle 3 and the inner wall of the sleeve-like extension of the driving part. In the preferred form these pawlcarrying members are semicircular in plan, and when so constructed it will be seen that a number of pawl-teeth corresponding to half the number of the teeth upon the crownratchet may be caused to simultaneously engage. This is a very great advantage for the foregoing reasons. l r

What I claim is- 1. In a ratchet mechanism for tools,a driving part, a driven part, a spindle carried by one of the parts and rotatably engaging the other part, a pawl-carrying member embracing said spindle and arranged between it and the surrounding wall of said driving part, said pawl-carrying member comprising two independent ring segments or sections, a plurality of pawl-teeth at the lower end of each of said sections, the teeth on one section being faced oppositely to the teeth on the other section, a ratchet on the driven part facing said pawlteeth and means to retract either of said sectiolps from engagement with said ratchet at w1 2. In a ratchet mechanism for tools, a driving part, a driven part, a spindle carried by one of the parts and rotatably engaging the other part, a pawl-carrying member embracing said spindle and arranged between it and the surrounding wall of said driven part, said pawl-carrying member comprising two independent ring segments or sect1ons,a plurality of pawl-teeth at the lower end of each of said sections, the teeth on one section being faced oppositely to the teeth on the other section, a ratchet on the driven part facing said pawlteeth, a lateral extension from each section of said pawl member, said extensions projecting into longitudinal grooves or recesses in the surrounding wall of the driving part, and a controlling member cooperating with said sections to retract either of the same at will.

3. In a ratchet mechanism for tools, a driving part, a driven part, a spindle carried by one of the parts and rotatably engaging the other part, a awl-carrying member embracing said spin e and arranged between it and the surrounding wall of said driving part, said pawl-carrying member comprising two independent ring segments or sections, a plurality of pawl-teeth at the lower end of each of said sections, the teeth on one section being faced oppositely to the teeth on the other section, a ratchet on the driven vpart facing said pawl-teeth, a lateral extension on each section of said pawl member, said extensions projecting into longitudinal grooves or recesses in the surrounding wall of the driving part, and a controlling-sleeve cooperatingv with said extensions to retract either of said :sections at will from engagement with said ratchet.

, 4. In a ratchet mechanism for tools, a driving part, a driven part, a spindle carried by one of said parts and rotatably engaging the other part, a sleeve-like extension on said driving part, slots therein, a pawl-carrying member embracing said spindle and bearing between the same and the surrounding wall of the driving part, said pawl-carrying member comprising two independent longitudinally-movable ring segments or sections, a plurality of pawl-teeth on the lower end of each of said sections, the teeth on one section being faced oppositely to the teeth on the other section, a ratchet on the driven part facing said pawl-teeth, lateral extensions on each of the sections of the pawl-oarrying member, said extensions projecting -through said slots in said sleeve-like extension, and an external cam surrounding said sleeve-like extension and engaging said projections. i

5. In a ratchet mechanism for tools, a driving part, a driven part, a spindle on the latter rotatably engaging the former, a sleevelike extension on the former overstanding the spindle and spaced apart therefrom, a housing, a pawl-carrying member including two independent longitudinally-movable ring segments or sections between the spindle and the inner wall of said sleeve-like extension, a plurality of teeth on the lower end of each of said sections, the teeth on one section being faced oppositely to the teeth on the other section, a ratchet on the driven part and means to cause both of said sections to normally move into engagement with said ratchet, and man- IOO IZO

ually-controllable means to permit either of said sections to be retracted from operative engagement with said ratchet at will.

6. In a ratchet mechanism for toolsI a driving part, a driven part, a spindle on the latter rotatably engaging the former, a sleevelike extension on the former overstanding the spindle and spaced apart therefrom, a housing, a pawl-carrying member including two independent longitudinally-movable ring segments or sections between the spindle and the inner wall of said sleeve-like extension, a plurality of teeth on the lower end of each of said sections, the teeth on one section being faced oppositely to the teeth on the other section, a ratchet on the driven part and means to cause both of said sections to normally `move into engagement with said ratchet, and

and a projection on each of said sections passing through a slot in said sleeve-like driven extension and coperating with said cam.

HUBERT P. RICHARDS. Witnesses:

W. J. WoRAM, V. G. HOFFMAN. 

